1. Field of Invention
The technical scope of the present invention is that of lashing devices for a gun barrel, that is to say devices to hold this barrel with respect to the chassis of a carrier vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known for a gun carried by a tracked or wheeled vehicle to be subjected to loads during travelling and to eliminate these it is known to rigidly fasten this barrel on the carrier chassis by a so-called lashing system which avoids bending or deviation of the barrel.
Different fastening devices are known that use double-acting cylinders, articulated half-shells provided with screws and nuts, or jaws.
One major drawback to the devices using double-acting cylinders lies in the fact that such a device does not incorporate a locking system, and thus leaves a risk of opening, namely in the event of a drop in hydraulic pressure.
Fastening systems using articulated half-shells require human intervention for locking and unlocking operations.
The use of a jaw fastener system advantageously overcomes these drawbacks. Thus, patent FR-2757620 describes a fastening system for a gun barrel using two jaws that simply lock the gun barrel in a given position when it is lowered, unlocking being activated by the raising of the barrel.
A drawback to this system lies, however, in the fact that there is a certain give in the locking and additionally, the gun barrel can only be locked in one position, whereas it is sometimes necessary to have different locking positions. This is notably the case when the vehicle carrying the gun is transported by rail-road where it must meet certain dimensional conditions. The gun must in this case be in a substantially horizontal position. Moreover, during manoeuvres in the field, the gun risks touching the ground if it remains in a horizontal position. It is thus necessary for it to be locked in a raised position.